More Than Meets The Eye
by Bitethepillowimgoingindry
Summary: Ice joins the crew of the Ebon Hawk after finding..well youll see. Revised. Rated M for future chapters
1. Chapter 1

**I played through the dueling circle side quest on Taris and I just couldn't help but wonder what happened to Ice after she leaves the dueling ring. So I decided to give her a slightly larger (by which I mean huge) part in the story.**

He stood on the command deck over looking the planet below. Korriban was full of his devoted followers, all sharing his lust for victory and desire for power. The time of the Republic was ending and the time of the Sith was fast approaching. Close, so close he could almost taste it. Those that followed him would be spared, but those that stood against him would beg for death to end their suffering. He laughed coldly. Yes, soon it would all be over, and all of his enemies would be crushed. Their blood would stain the land of the worlds he conquered, and the screams would be heard across the galaxy.

He would start with those fools on the Jedi Council. Always speaking in prophecy, rather than face the truth. Always warning of the Dark Side rather than teaching the students how to defend themselves against it. Always "evaluating" the threat rather than stop it. Always acting for the "good" of everyone. Ha! The Jedi were no better than he was really. Yes, he had killed countless people during the Mandalorian war. Granted, he had destroyed a few planets here and there. But wasn't it just as bad to sit back and allow it all to happen? Was it not "dark" to do nothing while children watched their parents being murdered before being sold into slavery? Was is not "evil" to ignore the cries of thousands of people as they were cut down? Protectors of the peace indeed.

His thoughts were interrupted by a loud explosion from inside the ship. The emergency alarm went off seconds later, and the lights started flickering.

_What now?_

The doors opened and a young soldier ran in. Smoke could be seen from the hallway and people were shouting orders. The soldier knelt in front of him panting. "My Lord Revan, forgive the disturbance. A small group of Jedi have infiltrated the ship, they are fighting their way here and we are unable to stop them."

_Jedi? Strange, it's not like them to be offensive. Maybe they are finally growing some backbone. _

"Send out all available troops and apprentices, if it is a fight they are looking for let us not disappoint them." The soldier bowed his head and quickly ran out of the room. Revan returned to the window and looked out to the galaxy that would one day be his. He heard the distant sound of fighting and screaming, the Jedi seemed to be holding up quite well. He expected as much, he knew his own pathetic soldiers on the ship were no match for a group of Jedi. He only hoped to wear them down.

The ship grew quiet and he felt them approaching slowly. Moments later the doors opened and this time four young Jedi entered the room. He could feel their fear and apprehension and it made him smile cruelly. They would be no trouble. But something was strange about these Jedi. He could feel the power flowing through them, but it was weaker then a usual Master or even a Knight.

_Apprentices? What was the council thinking? They are more foolish and cowardly than I thought._

He turned around to face them and felt the faintest amount of pity. They were so young, so inexperienced. They barely looked old enough to enter a cantina, and the Council sent them to capture a Sith Lord? His eyes settled on the only female and couldn't help but notice that she was rather attractive. She must have felt his eyes on her because she was the first to speak. "You cannot win Revan." He laughed cruelly and lifted his hand in front of him. One of the males flew backwards and hit the wall with a sickening crunch. He slid to floor motionless as a thin line of blood ran down his cheek. The remaining Jedi looked at each other and ignited their lightsabers.

_So you wish to test yourselves do you? Very well, I shall humor you. _

He removed his lightsaber from his belt and ignited the blood red blade. He stood still and waited for one of them to make the first move. Everything was still for several minutes, only beeping from a nearby computer could be heard. Finally, one of them found the courage to make the first move. He walked toward Revan slowly and raised his weapon over his head. He brought it down only to have it blocked easily by Revan. The apprentice then spun around in an attempt to throw Revan off, but was unsuccessful. Revan side stepped and quickly ran his blade through the stunned Jedi, he watched as all life left his eyes and he fell lifeless to the floor.

_Pathetic. _

He turned his attention to the remaining two Jedi, and put his lightsaber back on his belt.

_No need for that. _

The two stood shoulder to shoulder facing him. He reached both hands out and watched as they suddenly dropped their weapons as their air supply was cut off by a powerful choke hold. There was no need to kill them just yet, they could prove to be useful. The male would be tortured for information, and he sensed much power in the female. She could be turned he was sure of it, his methods could prove very persuasive.

He was distracted as the ship lurched violently. He stumbled and let go of his hold on the two of Jedi. They fell to the floor gasping for air.

_More Jedi? _

He turned to the window and saw his apprentice's ship, the _Devastator, _aiming its cannons directly at him.

_Malak you treacherous dog. I should have seen this coming. _

He watched as the cannons fired several shots, and felt the ship shake as the missiles hit it repeatedly. The window shattered and he felt a searing pain in his head as a large piece of glass hit him. He fell to the floor with a grunt and felt the world around him begin to fade. The last sight he saw before his world went black was the young female Jedi leaning over him.

Talan Owens sat straight up in bed covered in sweat. He looked around at his surroundings and saw he was laying in bed in a dimly lit room. It was just a dream, but it had felt so _real_. He closed his eyes and tried to calm his breathing, but the dream was still too fresh in his mind. Why the hell was he dreaming about Revan anyway? He stood up and closed his eyes against they wave of dizziness that came over him. He took several deep breaths and opened his eyes again. He took a closer look at his surroundings and he was in what looked like an abandoned apartment. His blaster and vibroblade was sitting on a dusty table across the room.

_How did I get here?_

The doors opened a scruffy looking man in his thirties walked in. He wore tattered looking jacket that was a repulsive shade of orange, and he looked like he had seen too many battles. But he had an honest smile and spoke in a friendly tone.

"Good to see you up instead of thrashing around in your sleep. You must have been having one hell of a nightmare. I was beginning to wonder if you were ever going to wake up. I'm Carth, I was with you on the escape pod do you remember?

Talan looked confused for a moment, then everything came flooding back to him. Fighting the Sith on the Endar Spire. Watching his friends and allies gunned down, and stepping over their bodies. Watching his bunk mate throwing himself at a dark Jedi so he could escape. Meeting Carth and barely escaping the ship before it exploded.

"Right, I remember. How did we get here? Where are we?"

"Well you've been slipping in and out of consciousness for a few days now so I guess you're pretty confused. Try not to worry we're safe, at least for now. When the escape pod crashed you were banged up pretty bad, but luckily I wasn't seriously hurt. I managed to drag you away from all of the chaos before the Sith arrived. I came across this abandoned apartment and we have been hiding out here ever since."

_Crashed. That would explain the throbbing in my head. _

He looked up and managed a small smile. "I guess I owe you my life. Thanks."

"There's no need to thank me, I've never abandoned anyone on a mission and I'm not about to start now. Besides I'm going to need your help to get off this planet. I read in your service records that you understand a large number of alien languages, that's pretty rare. But it will come in handy if we hope to find Bastila and escape the Sith."

Bastila. Of course, she was the one in charge of the Spire. She was cute but she was snappy and abrasive, and she had all the charming qualities of an air sick Wookie.

It was hard to spend more than a few minutes with the woman. He remembered the first time he had met her she had been less than appealing.

"I think we should check the cantinas first. We need to keep a low profile, so it might be a good idea to ask some of the more intoxicated locals. They won't remember much about what we talked about anyway."

Talan grinned. He grabbed his blasters and attached them to his belt and put his long sword behind his back.

_Great. A scavenger hunt for a mouthy Jedi on a Sith controlled world._

He sighed and turned to follow Carth out of the apartment.

They immediately found trouble as soon as they entered the hall; two Duros were being harassed by a Sith soldier and his droid companions. One of them made a comment about the Sith being overbearing and was shot down. The Sith looked over to the other Duros and smiled cruelly as he raised his blaster to his head. A loud shot echoed through the hall and the Sith fell to the floor with a soft thud. Talan put his blaster back on his belt and turned to Carth. "So much for keeping a low profile."

The stunned Duros looked at them and then looked at the fallen Sith. "I thank you for your aid human. If you had not intervened I would surely be dead."

"Won't the Sith come looking for the body?"

The Duros shook his head and kicked the body lying on the floor. "Don't worry about that, I will take care of the body. Nobody will ever find it."

"That can't be a good omen." Said Carth as they left the apartment complex and stepped out onto the street. "I have a feeling things aren't going to get any easier."

"Then we better hurry up and figure out a way to get out of here before we draw too much attention to ourselves."

They made their way to the cantina with little trouble. They were approached by a group of drunken men but after offering to buy them a drink to avoid confrontation, they quickly left. They entered the cantina and were met with the smell of liquor and smoke. The noise level was almost unbearable. The music was loud enough that people almost had to shout to be heard over each other.

_Well we won't have to worry about being overheard._

They made their way through the crowd and noticed a large number of people gathered around a screen. Two men were fighting in an arena, one seemed to have trouble holding the blaster and the other seemed to be confused about which way to hold the blaster. The confused one dropped the blaster and was hit three times in the chest by his opponent. Both cheers and groans came from the crowd as the man was carried away on a stretcher. The winner came through the massive doors on the right and bowed as he was met with applause from the crowd. Talan paid no attention he was more interested in the hutt who had been watching him closely ever since he arrived. The hutt beckoned with his...hand for him to come closer.

_Nothing ever good comes from dealing with a hutt. _

He approached cautiously, he usually tried to avoid these creatures. "Greetings human, my name is Ajuur. I have not seen you around here before and I can tell you are no ordinary traveler." He said looking at Talan's muscular frame. "I have a proposition for you if you are interested human.

_This should be interesting. _

_"What kind of proposition?"_

Ajuur laughed. "I run the dueling ring here on Taris. I am always looking for new blood to enter the ring and you have the look of a duelist about you. If you are interested I can arrange for you to fight in the ring. Not to the death of course, death matches were outlawed years ago. You will of course be paid, but only if you win."

Talan looked at Carth who nodded. "It might be a good idea we could use the credits later on."

He turned back to Ajuur. "All right, I'm in."

The hutt laughed again. "Excellent. My other duelists have been pestering me for new faces, they will be eager to face you. Now we need to think of a name for you, something that will really hook the crowd. Good names mean more bets and more money for me. Let's see nobody knows you here so I'll call you the Mysterious Stranger."

Carth snickered behind him and Talan shook his head.

_No point in arguing with a hutt. _

"I'll take it."

"Excellent. If you're ready I can arrange for you to fight Ice. Normally I would start you of a little easier but Dead-eye Duncan is recovering and Gerlon is off celebrating with one of the dancers. Besides, you look like you can handle yourself."

Talan nodded and grinned slightly. "Let's do it."

Talan stood in the dueling ring waiting for this _Ice _To step into the arena. He didn't like the idea of having to fight a woman but from what he heard of her she was quite able to handle herself. Besides he needed the credits. He might have to bargain with someone to get information later. Loud cheers came up from the crowd as Ice entered on the opposite end of the arena. He was surprised at how young was, she couldn't have been more than nineteen.

_A kid? _

He sighed. Very well it wasn't like he had much of a choice. They both walked forward to the center of the ring and shook hands. He was surprised at how strong she was, he might have had the wrong first impression of her.

"Don't take it easy on me because I am a woman. Gentlemen aren't my type. Besides I have been anxious for new blood, these other _challengers_ were getting boring."

He grinned. "Shame I do like a woman who is feisty."

"You have a better chance of wooing Ajuur Stranger."

The buzzer announced the start of the match Talan drew his sword and barely managed to block as Ice swung her echani double blade up with a speed that surprised him. His wrists stung at the impact and he grimaced. She back away and they started circling each other slowly, each waiting for the other to make a move. He brought one of his blades around which she blocked easily. She used her body to push him back and drew a smaller knife from her belt. She threw it at him and it lodged in his shoulder. He grunted in pain as the crowd roared their approval for Ice. He pulled the knife out and threw it to the side as blood ran down his arm. He looked over at her and saw she was grinning. So she wanted to play dirty? All right then. He ran toward her spinning his blade in a circle. She side stepped and barely managed to block the attack, but the force of it knocked both their blades out their hands.

She dropped into an Echani stance and cheers erupted from the crowd. Ajuur had warned him of this, apparently she was quite the unarmed fighter. But he was not unfamiliar with the Echani fighting style. He had learned it from...well he didn't remember where he had learned it. But no matter he was experienced in it. He mimicked her stance and they bowed to each other. The crowd went wild; apparently they enjoyed this as much as vibroblades and blasters. They ran at each other and their fist collided with each other. They fought in the ancient Echani style, with fists and arms. Every time one of them landed a hit the crowd would cheer and whistle. They fought fiercely for almost ten minutes but they were both growing weary. He was sweating and breathing hard, and he could see she was starting to wear down. Time to end this. He dodged one of her attacks and dropped to one knee and rolled to the side. He took one of his blaster off his belt and fired two shots directly at her stomach. They found their mark and she fell to her knees in pain. She stared at him for a minute then gave the sign of surrender. The crowd was stunned, Ice never surrendered. The buzzer sounded again and the announcer declared Talan the winner. He walked over to Ice and offered her his hand which she brushed aside.

"I told you Stranger_,_ gentlemen aren't my type."

"Consider it showing mercy to a defeated opponent."

Ice stood up but grimaced in pain. "I don't need anyone's mercy. But I have to hand it to you Stranger, that was the best duel I have had since Twitch snatched the title of champion away from me. I guess Ajuur knew what he was doing when he recruited you." With that she turned away and left the arena as the crowd sent up thunderous applause.

Talan entered the cantina about an hour later. It had taken him a while to make his way through the crowd because people kept stopping him and telling him what a great duel it was. After receiving payment from Ajuur he turned to leave and noticed Ice sitting at a table in the far corner. He approached her and sat across form her. She did not look pleased at the interruption.

"Did you come to gloat stranger? Or perhaps you hope that by buying me a drink you can persuade your way to my bedroom? I told you before stranger you have a better chance with Ajuur."

Talan shook his head. "I'm not here to gloat and I have no intention of trying to seduce you. I only hoped to ask you about the under city."

"You bested me in the ring and all you want is information? You are an odd one Stranger. Very well, I shall humor you for a moment."

"I need information about the under city and about the escape pods that crashed there."

"Escape pods? From the space battle a few days ago? That was a republic ship, and everyone knows I'm not a fan of the Sith. So you can imagine my hesitation at telling you anything."

Talan nodded. "I was on that Ship. We were attacked by the Sith and we barely managed to get away. Our commanding officer was on another escape pod that landed on this planet, and we need to find her if we hope to get out off this rock."

"You were on the ship? I guess that makes you a friend of the republic and an enemy of the Sith. I can't see any harm in telling you what I know. There were two escape pods that crashed in the under city, the Black Vulkers captured the soldiers that were inside. I don't know much beyond that only that whoever you are looking for is a prisoner of a bunch of scum bags."

"Do you know how I can get to the lower city?"

"You are actually looking to go down there? You are brave Stranger. Though I don't know why you would go through so much danger to rescue one of your own, even if it is a commanding officer."

Talan felt like he could trust this woman and she seemed to honestly dislike the Sith. Besides he needed all the information he could get from her. "The commanding officer is a Jedi Knight. She has a rare gift and she is critical to the war effort. If we do not rescue her then the republic has no chance of winning."

Ice looked at him intently. "The Jedi you are looking for, is her name Bastila?"

Talan and Carth looked at each other. "Yes it is. Do you know her?"

Ice's face hardened. "You could say that. She is my sister."


	2. Chapter 2

**So sorry it has taken me forever to update this. I just couldn't get my thoughts together fast enough. This is kind of a short one but I felt bad for keeping you all waiting. I promise to be more consistent in the future. Enjoy and please review!**

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Talan raised and eyebrow stared at Ice for a moment unsure if he had heard her correctly. Her sister? What were the chances of that?

His first thought was that she could be lying. Perhaps she was a Sith disguised as a duelist, working to obtain any information that could be used against the republic.

But something, he wasn't sure what exactly, but something told him that she was telling him the truth. He had always been able to pick up deception from people no matter how small, he supposed it was a gift.

Carth's voice brought snapped him back to reality.

"Your….sister?"

"Yes fly-boy, sister. However, ask me under different circumstances and I will deny any connection just as I am sure she will."

"Why?" asked Carth.

"I fail to see how this concerns you."

Carth shrugged. "Just curious."

Ice crossed her arms and glared at him. "Curiosity killed the Wookie." She sighed and shook her head. "Look fly-boy, I'm sure you have met her and if so then you know it is almost impossible to spend more than five minutes in her presence without going mad. Now imagine growing up sharing a room with her, the girl even nagged me in her sleep."

A small grin crept over her face.

"But now the _famous _Jedi has gone and gotten herself captured by a street gang of all things. Oh, this is too good. Mother would be so _proud_."

Talan stared at her and thought for a moment. Clearly her feelings toward Bastila went beyond simple sibling rivalry. To put it simply it appeared Ice utterly _loathed _her sister. He knew there was more to the story then what she was letting on but he was not going to press the issue.

"We have to get her out of there." Talan said to Carth who nodded.

"Why? If she is so powerful, and such a _prodigy_ let her get herself out of this mess. Force knows it might do her some good to be caged up for a while."

Talan chose his next words carefully. If they had any hope of finding, let alone rescuing Bastila, they were going to need Ice's help. However reluctant she may be.

"Listen Ice...is that your real name?"

"It will do for now."

"Okay, Ice. I realize that you and Bastila may not exactly get along. But she is..."

" 'Critical to the war effort.' " Ice finished for him. "So I have heard. Countless times I might add."

"Exactly. Without her then the republic stands little chance of having even their name survive. I know she can be...difficult to deal with. But that difficulty is nothing compared to what we will face if the Sith are victorious. We have a chance to change the entire outcome of the war."

Ice looked unimpressed. She opened her mouth to argue but Talan cut her off.

"Or if that doesn't appeal to you, think of the amount of money the republic will grant you for your services."

Bingo.

Ice held back whatever protest she had a moment ago and simply looked at the two men in front of her. Several moments passed while she registered his last comment, and she finally let out a defeated sigh.

"All right Stranger, you have made your point. But if I am to help you rescue my earworm of a sister, I expect you to do something for me. I will not go prancing about the undercity sticking my vibroblade where it doesn't belong and battling street scum without proper payment."

"How much do you want?" Carth asked somewhat hesitantly.

She smiled slyly. "Oh it is not credits I am after. Money will do me no good once the Sith realize what has happened."

"Then what do you want?"

"Transportation. I help you get _her _back, and in return you take me with you when you escape this pit of a planet."

"Why so eager to leave?" Talan asked.

"Again I don't see where this concerns you. It seems like a fair deal doesn't it? I get your Jedi princess back, and in return you get me off this planet. After that, we each go our own way and pretend we never met. What do you say stranger? Do we have a deal?"

Talan glanced over at Carth who nodded. It seemed the smart thing to do, and it wasn't as if they were going to stumble onto another or Bastila's siblings.

He turned to her and grinned. "Deal."

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**Just a short one, kind of a filler chapter. I should have chapter 3 up in a few days, thanks for your patience!**


	3. Chapter 3

**Another short one, my internet has been down so please forgive my slowness! I know, I suck =( **

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"Do you think we can trust her?" Carth asked for what felt like the hundredth time.

Talan and Carth sat at the table in the run down apartment now used as a base, and waited for their newest (somewhat reluctant) ally Ice to return from the east part of Taris.

Talan sighed. "Carth, is she was planning to turn us in, we would be sitting in force cages right now being "interrogated" by a Sith torturer. Besides what reason would she have to betray us?"

"What reason _wouldn't _she have? There is a bounty on republic fugitives like us large enough to rebuild Telos three times over. Not to mention the bounty that Bastila will have if we manage to rescue her. Besides that, I don't know if you've noticed but there doesn't exactly seem to be a loving bond between Bastila and Ice. She seems like she would turn us in just to watch Bastila in a cage."

Talan rubbed his temples trying to chase off the headache that was starting to creep up on him.

"Furthermore," Carth continued, "isn't it just a little convenient that the first person we spoke to just happens to be Bastila's sister?"

"We should consider ourselves lucky that Ice is Bastila's sister, and that she is a duelist and not a moisture farmer. She agreed to help us and we are in no position to refuse help in any form."

"I suppose."

"We have to trust her Carth."

"I just don't like the idea of trusting someone we barely know with such a big mission."

"You would prefer to look for Bastila on our own?"

"I, but I...No, I suppose not. But I hate waiting here, it makes me feel so helpless."

Talan didn't bother arguing the point with him. They had been over the plan at least four times, and every time Talan had tried to explain why it would be smart to wait here for Ice to return.

Ice had a friend inside the Sith, an officer by the name of Sarna. Apparently, Sarna and some of the other officers were throwing a rather wild party that night and Ice had received a special invite from Sarna and Yun Genda (who had a slight infatuation with Ice.) The plan was for Ice to relieve the Sith officers of their uniforms once they had had a little too much Tarisian ale.

"Trust me fly-boy, too much of that ale will knock a Wookie on its ass." Ice said when Carth had voiced his concerns.

They agreed it would be smart if the two men waited in the apartment for Ice to return. Someone at the party might have come their service records and might recognize their faces. Besides that, Ice was not known to travel with company and it might raise some suspicious questions.

"We don't even know her real name." Carth started up again.

Talan smiled. "Why so interested, are you considering asking her to dinner?"

Carth imediately turned red, a horrible contrast to his jacket. "What? No! That's not what I meant at all! It's just that, well were going to be working together right? It would make me feel better to know exactly who I am traveling with. Who knows who she really is? She could be a Sith Lord for all we know."

"I think you are being a tad over-dramatic."

Carth shrugged. "You can never be too careful."

"Are you always this suspicious?"

"Yes." Carth answered flatly.

Silence fell between them and Talan busied himself with polishing his blaster. He could understand Carth's concerns to a point, but even in the current situation he seemed to be overly paranoid. A Sith Lord? Honestly...

His thoughts were interrupted as the door to the apartment opened with a hiss. Ice stepped into the room carrying a Sith backpack over her shoulder, and a rather smug expression on her face.

"What kept you?" Carth asked anxiously.

"Didn't realize I had a time limit." She snapped. "Besides, I got what we needed didn't I?" She threw the bag on the table and a sith helmet fell out and landed at Carth's feet. He picked it up and held it in front of him with a look of disgust.

"There are only two uniforms in here." Talan said examining the contents of the bag.

"Such a keen eye." Ice said somewhat annoyed, and emptied the bag. "Three Sith soldiers going into the Undercity without a captain may seem suspicious, and draw unwanted attention. Two Sith guards escorting a prisoner however..." Her voice trailed off and Talan nodded in understanding.

"Good plan. I have seen people being taken to the Undercity at least once an hour, so it won't look out of the ordinary. So who's going to be our prisoner?"

"Fly-boy obviously."

"What? Why me?"

"Well obviously I can't, everyone has seen me in the dueling ring and I will be recognized immediately. And our fearless leader over here will be noticed just as quickly seeing as how he defeated me only hours ago. "

Talan had to admit he was impressed with the girl. She had proven to be invaluable thus far, despite her age. Not only had she managed to rob a room full of Sith soldiers, she had also come up with an almost brilliant plan to get into the Undercity undetected.

"I don't like the idea of you pointing a blaster at my exposed back." Carth grumbled.

"Do you have a better idea?"

Carth opened and closed his mouth several times, but finding nothing to say, gave up.

Talan laughed to himself, he was starting to like this girl more and more.

"Right then. The sooner we get this underway, the sooner we find Miss 'look at me I can use the force.' "


	4. Chapter 4

The trio left the apartment nearly an hour later. It had taken far longer to leave than expected, mainly due to Carth's continued protests of having to be the one with the blaster pointed at his head.

"We have been over this fly-boy. Neither myself nor our fearless leader here can play the part, we will be immediately recognized in the Upper City. Besides, with your whiny and quite frankly, somewhat irritating personality you are ideal for the part. Most will think we incarcerated you just to be rid of your constant complaining."

When they finally managed tp leave their hideout, the sun was just beginning to set on the city. Long shadows cast by the sky high buildings lined the streets, warning the citizens that night was fast approaching.

Talan and Ice, dressed in the uniforms they had swiped earlier, walked on either side of their "prisoner" Carth. Carth kept shooting nervous glances at the blaster that Ice had pointed directly at him. Even though the girl had held to her word thus far, he seemed no closer to trusting her then joining the Sith.

Talan had to admit; he was curious about her. She had not given them her real name or any indication of who she was really was, apart from the fact that she was Bastila's sister, and that appeared to be a very sore subject. He couldn't help but wonder what had driven the two to hate each other so much, clearly it was something that was enough to warrant a life-long feud between them. He decided it was better to drop the subject, he was sure he would find out more when they found Bastila, if they ever found her. He silently prayed that Ice's plan would work. **  
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Nobody bothered them on the way to the elevator. The citizens just assumed that Carth was another thug who had got on the wrong side of the two guards escorting him, and nobody dared to interfere with Sith business.

"State your business." The guard said lazily when they finally reached the elevator.

"Caught this one trying to start up a rebellion in the Cantina." Talan said nudging Carth in the side with his blaster. "We're dumping him off on the Undercity and leaving him to the Rakghouls."

"Why not just take him to the holding cells?" The guard asked suspiciously.

Talan shrugged. "Captains orders. Says the cells are all full up with prisoners from the space battle the other day."

"I don't remember hearing about any prisoners." The guard replied slowly.

"That is hardly our concern is it?" Ice snapped. "Perhaps you would prefer to call the captain on the com-link and ask _him _all these incessant questions?"

"Why you..." the guard began, but seemed to think better if it. "Fine, fine. Just be on your way."

"Good boy." Ice said stepping into the turbo lift.

Talan heard the guard mutter something under his breath about females and banthas before the door closed with a soft hiss.

"I can't believe that worked."Carth said grinning slightly.

"Neither can I." Ice admitted. "Your acting is horrid."

"What? I didn't say a word!"

"Exactly but you looked far too relaxed. Most people do not stand about looking bored while being escorted by two Sith officers. The one time it might actually be prudent for you to protest is the one time you actually bite your tongue."

"At least I didn't decide to play 'Who's the dominant Kath hound.' " Carth protested.

"You haven't dealt with many Sith have you fly-boy? It's survival of the fittest within their world. If you back down from a confrontation of any sort then you won't last two days. Better to play the dominant Kath hound, than to be eaten by him."

Talan ignored them. Their constant bickering was driving him to madness, and he thought it best to tune them out and try to plan out their next move.

The easy part was over, now they were leaving the safer Upper city and going to the gang ridden Lower city. He had confidence that the three of them could handle a few thugs, that didn't worry him. His main concern was how they were going to find Bastila. He doubted any of the gang members would be willing to talk, and he was against using torture to get information. He tried to push those thoughts from his mind, he would cross that bridge when he got to it.

The elevator slowed and eventually came to a stop with a slight jerk. Talan could sense the change even before the doors opened. The air was thick with the smell of garbage and hard living, and he could almost feel the desperation of the people that lived in the streets.

The doors opened and the party stepped into thre streets. It was worse than Talan had imagined. The few lights that lined the streets were dimly lit and were flickering on and off. Trash lined the streets and both humans and aliens alike could be seen rummaging though the dumpsters hoping to find something edible.

"This place makes Nar Shadaa look like a paradise." Carth said shaking his head.

"These are the lucky ones." Ice said, her voice unusually soft. "The ones sent off to the Undercity are the ones who don't usually live past the week. The ones that do, wish they hadn't."

A small group of people had gathered off to their left, and by the looks of it, it was not a friendly get-together.

"The Beks are old news, the Vulkars are in control of these streets."

"Vulkars are murderers and scum bags. We'll show you who is strongest."

The group drew their weapons and blaster fire echoed through the streets, causing the nearby scavangers to run in fear. Within seconds three of the gang members called the "Beks" were dead and the survivors were ransacking their corpses.

"The hospitality on this planet never ceases to amaze me." Carth said quietly.

One of the surviving thugs overheard him and looked up from the body he had been looting. "Sith are not welcome here!"

"Damn." Ice said drawing her blasters.

The street thugs were easily taken out by the trio, but the fight was nevertheless unsettling. They had barely set foot in the Lowercity and they had already been attacked and gotten on the wrong side of the street gang.

"That can't be a good sign." Talan said putting his blaster back in the holder.

"What now?" Carth asked.

"Well, we seemed to have lucked out in the cantina last time. Seems as good a place as any."

"If I might offer a warning." Ice interrupted. "The locals here are far less sociable then those on the upper levels, and even less tolerant of the Sith. I suggest we change out of these atrocious uniforms and keep a low profile."

Talan nodded. "Good idea. Two Sith entering the cantina might draw unwanted attention. We should keep our ears open and see if we can find anything out."

Hopefully things went as easily as they said. So far however, things had proven to be far more difficult and they could hardly afford to have anymore encounters like this.


	5. Chapter 5

**I know that it has been over two years since I last updated this and if you are still reading-bless you. I do sincerely apologize but being in the military and having a baby has taken up all of my free time until now. I will try to update as often as I can. I will be skipping over parts to get this story rolling since I know many of you are looking forward to the reunion and I will try not to disappoint. Thank you all so much for your patience and I hope I don't let you down with this!**

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The stench of the Lower City streets was incomparable to the overwhelming smell of the lower cantina. Talan was nearly knocked back as an invisible cloud carrying the smell of alcohol and stale vomit swept over him. Humans and aliens from every race occupied every space of the cantina that seemed to be held together by nothing more than the peeling paint on the walls.

"I've seen Sith holding cells more pleasant than this place." Carth said, looking a noticeable shade of green.

"Welcome to the Lower City's idea of entertainment," Ice said casually. "The thugs and slime balls come here when they tire of harassing street urchins and cripples."

Glass could be heard breaking from somewhere in the depths of the cantina followed by angry shouts in Rodese. Talan couldn't catch all of what was said, but he was sure that there was a rather vulgar reference that was made in regards to the offender's mother.

"Seems like a friendly lot." Talan said with ill disguised sarcasm.

"Consider yourself lucky Stranger. Most days you cannot get past the doors without a blaster clumsily pointed at your head. This is considered to be a lull."

Somehow that thought did nothing to ease Talan's growing sense of concern.

"Well what's the plan?" Carth asked without taking his eyes off the crowd. For once Talan could understand his sense of distrust, but he thought better of telling him this.

"You two are going to wait here." Ice said matter-of-factly.

"While you do what? Carth asked with what could be interpreted as curiosity or suspicion.

"You didn't think I would blindly stroll into a place such as this without the slightest idea of what I was doing did you?"

"I just thought we could make things up as we went." Talan said with a smirk.

Talan and Carth headed for the bar to take what appeared to be the only available seats in the entire place while Ice disappeared into the crowd. Nobody paid the two men any attention as they sat which was the only comforting thing to happen to them thus far.

They did their best to blend in and act natural as they surveyed the various patrons, looking for anyone or anything that could possibly help them.

"What does she hope to find here?" Carth said.

"Maybe she has a date." Talan said without looking at him.

"Do you take anything seriously?"

"Try not to. Do you take everything seriously?"

"Try to."

Talan clenched his jaw to keep from commenting. He respected Carth, he had seen more battle than Talan would in his entire life, and clearly his instincts had kept him alive so far. But the constant suspicion was beginning to wear on Talan.

Carth let out a long sigh and ran his hand through his hair. "Look, I know I must seem paranoid and I suppose that's a fair statement. But I want you to know it has nothing to do with you, I just don't trust people. Period."

Talan wasn't sure how to respond so he settled for a stiff nod. Carth opened his mouth to continue but an ear splitting roar shook the walls cutting off any further comment. The entire cantina became instantly silent and the patrons seemed to collectively hold their breath. The course of the commotion was spotted immediately, a wookie in the far corner of the cantina was instantly noticeable, towering several feet above even the tallest human.

"What do you think that's about?" Carth asked.

Talan shrugged. "Maybe they got his order wrong."

Chatter gradually began to pick up again and soon the cantina was back to the roar of voices and music. Talan was beginning to get bored and restless and thought that he might get up and wander through the crowd, if nothing else at least he would be moving. He hated sitting still. He had no sooner finished this thought when he felt as if someone was approaching them. He glanced over his shoulder and sure enough three Rodians were headed in their direction. He inched his hand toward his blaster as they approached and debated on how to tell Carth without alerting the Rodians.

"Calo Nord." One of them said as they stepped up behind them

Talan was confused and thought that they had him mistaken for someone else. According to most aliens, all humans looked the same. But a response to his left settled his confusion.

"Go away."

"Is that anyway to treat visitors?" Another of the trio responded. "We need to teach you some manners."

"One." The man apparently named Calo answered.

"One?" Rodian number three asked confused. "What one? What game is this?"

"Two." Calo said cooly.

"I think he's counting how many of us there are against him. Three against one Calo, you're outnumbered and outgunned."

Calo finished off his drink before responding. "Three." He moved so fast that Talan barely saw what happened. In an instant Calo was on his feet with a blaster in each hand and the three Rodians were lying in a heap on the floor. Talan tried not to stare but he found it impossible. It wasn't the man's skill with a blaster that stunned him, but the man's size. He was no bigger than a teenage child and seemed like he would barely reach Talan's chest. Calo either didn't notice or didn't care that every head in the cantina was turned to him, he simply put his blasters away and casually walked out of the cantina as if nothing had occurred.

"Don't suppose he would give us directions." Carth said as he watched the man walk away.

"Who was that?" Talan asked.

"Calo Nord," Ice answered appearing from nowhere. "The most deadly bounty hunter on this planet and I sincerely hope you did nothing to anger that man. I would rather face a dozen pissed of Sith soldiers then spend one minute alone with him."

"Well?" Carth interrupted. "Did you find anything?"

Ice pulled a bundle of papers out of her belt and threw them on the counter in front of the two men. "What are these?" Talan asked as he picked them up.

"Your ticket to the Under City. Papers used by the Sith when they go between the Lower and Upper city, just show these to the guard and we are in."

"How did you get these?" Talan asked grinning. He was beginning to like this girl more and more.

"Mission."

"Accomplished?" Asked Cath.

"Vao. She and her wookie friend you heard earlier are the best scoundrels in area, she swiped these off a Sith officer who had a little too much to drink. Once I told her of the situation she gladly handed these over."

"Excellent." Said Talan.

"For a price." Ice continued.

"Of course."

"What's the catch?" Asked Carth.

"There's a big swoop race coming up, one of the less deadly ways that the gangs settle their rivalries. One of the gangs, the Beks, had a rather expensive and original prototype stolen from them and Mission has been working on getting it back. She found a secret entrance into the base of the ones who took it, the Vulkars. She needed the help, we needed the papers. So I offered our services."

"You want us to help a street gang of all things?" Carth asked exasperated.

"A street gang that helps those that help them. I know Gadon, if we bring him his precious prototype he will give us any reward we want. Unfortunately in this case that "reward" is my sister. I'd rather have the rakghoul disease but I suppose it's a good thing the decision is not up to me."

"A trustworthy street gang." Carth muttered. "Now I've heard everything."


End file.
